Like A Butterfly
by onioner
Summary: THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ACTUALLY STORYLINE OF TOKYO GHOUL, JUST THE SAME IDEA. - Kaneko Hibiki is a ghoul enthusiast. Although he is deathly afraid of ghouls, once he sees a ghoul's kagune, he can't help but be mesmerized by the beauty. And, as every story trope must follow, he can't take his eyes away from one of the highest ranked ghouls as classified by the CCG
1. Everyday

_1: Everyday_

"Good work today!" I shouted before walking out of the shop, sighing softly as my breath became a grey little cloud in front of me, causing me to pull my scarf up around my mouth. The crisp winter air was eating at my lungs, the empty sidewalks making the town seem a little eery. Accompanied by the high alert from the CCG around the 5th ward, the eeriness turned into fear and paranoia, it felt like someone was following me, breathing down my back and disappearing the instant I'd turn around. This feeling made me sick to my stomach, squeezing my bag tightly as I stared at the sidewalk. _Just another block is all… You'll be in a busier area then._ I needed constant reassurance to myself that I'd make it to my apartment alive every night as I left work.

I sighed softly, trying to shake away the chills I felt and keep myself focused on things besides the shadows that seemed to move. _Another few steps_. I was about to turn the corner before hearing squishing, accompanied by chewing in a nearby alleyway, my heart stopping as my body froze. The chewing stopped. It knew I was here. It knew I heard it. _Shit._ I could barely move my body as I tried to continue inching forward, hearing liquidy footsteps marching down the alley. I froze again, my breathing stopping this time as I knew I was done for.

In an instant, I regained control of my body, a rush of adrenaline suddenly bolting through my veins as I sped away, into what I thought would be a crowded part of the city at this time. I was wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. I kept my feet moving, running past my apartment building in case it had been following me. I turned into a convenience store, panting hard as a worker rushed to my aid. "Sir, are you alright?" He prodded, grabbing my shoulder before I looked up.

" _Ghoul…_ " That was the only thing I could mumble before fear was struck into the employee next, the man rushing behind the counter and grabbing the phone as I followed to the counter. "Lock the doors," I instructed, tapping my foot loudly from my nerves. The other employee gave me a crazy work before her coworker, who was currently on the phone trying to get a hold of the CCG, nodded at her, the girl rushing to the door and yanking out her keys. She nervously flipped through them, skipping the one she needed a few times before locking the sliding doors, quickly running to the other side of the store afterwards. The few customers in the store were all a little confused, the fear spreading to them as well as I took deep breaths, neither of the employees in a good place to give way as to what was going on.

As the man finally got a hold of someone who could come help us, a body slammed against the glass door, their eye's black with the red, piercing pupils in the center that blood vessels trailed from. The ghoul licked his lips as he darted his eyes around the store, staring at all the potential meals. Another ghoul suddenly followed, but luckily for us, the two were more concerned about territory privileges rather than food at the moment. "First correspondents in the area will be here soon," the employee stated, his voice shaking as I stared outside at the ghouls first arguing, then physically fighting with their kagunes. It was fascinating, but terrifying at the same time. Captivated by the way their kagunes moved and how they varied from one another, I didn't realize the two CCG agents suddenly coming up upon the ghouls. The ghouls were low rank, probably around a C, and didn't put up much of a two agents quickly took care of them, the ghoul's bodies splattered all over the side of the store. Police officers had arrived, but only to enclose the space with police tape. One of the agents signaled us to come out, everyone, including me, stepping out with shaky hands and legs and some seeming as if they were about to barf. It felt like life in Japan was become survival of the fittest since ghouls showed up.


	2. Neighbors

_2: Neighbors_

I was in my third year of high school, about to graduate in a month. Once I could get the chance, I'd get out of here. The American division of the CCG seems to have things on lock down over there, so that's where I plan to head. I sighed, walking out of my apartment with my bag in hand and a granola bar in the other. Boxes were stacked all around outside my neighbor's door, one of my eyebrows cocking up. _A new neighbor?_ I walked to their door, knocking softly before hearing a loud snore accompanied by a bit of a scream. Footsteps stomped around on the other side of the door before it finally opened. A boy answered it, his hair a messy strawberry blonde, his skin fair and reddened, his tshirt wrinkled and a pair of sweatpants fell down post his toes. He looked like a kid. "H-Hello! Are you my neighbor? I'm sorry about the boxes! I promise I'll have them inside by tomorrow!" He blabbed, seeming like a mess. "Oh! I'm Matsuyama Kyoshi by the way!" He continued, bowing before falling over onto the floor as I took a step back.

"Um, yeah, the mess isn't a problem. For me, anyways. And I'm Kaneko Hibiki. Nice to meet you," I bowed at him before looking down at the boy, butt up and face down. I chuckled a little at him before lifting him up by the collar of the back of his shirt. "You alright there?" I asked, starting to pull him up as my eyes went wide. "Wow! You weigh, like… Two pounds!" I shouted, the boy laughing softly as he got back on his feet.

"Yeah. I only weigh about a hundred pounds," he giggled, my eyes going wide.

"That's it? Jeez, eat more," I teased, smiling a little as I let him go, ruffling his hair softly. "Um, anyways, I gotta get going. School and all," I smiled before the boy looked a little panicked.

"Ah, wait, what time is it!" He shouted, looking around for a clock as I pulled out my phone. I opened the lock screen and giggled a little.

"It's about 8:10," I smirked a little as Matsuyama's face went white.

"Ah! Hey, will you wait just a sec! I'll be like two minutes, let's go to school together!" He pleaded as I let out a quiet huff in frustration, rolling my eyes.

"No, I'm heading out, later," I sighed, Matsuyama frowning before slamming his door shut. I only got to the bottom of the steps before hearing footsteps trailing behind me. _Oh, god dammit_. "Kaneko-chan!"

"Don't call me that. And keep your voice down. Are you trying to be an anime character or something?" I mumbled, sighing softly as Matsuyama walked up beside me, laughing loudly. It sounded too cute and bubbly. _How obnoxious_. "Seriously, stop with the whole anime kid thing. It's obnoxious,"

Matsuyama frowned, pouting his lip out before letting out a loud sigh, slouching over. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he mumbled, his voice finally sounding like a normal person's, though it was a little high for a guy. "Anyways, Kaneko-san," he started, looking up at me as I sighed softly. "What year are you in?" He asked as I sighed, running a hand through my dyed white hair. _Man, and I made fun of him for acting like an anime character._

"Ah, I'm a third year. What about you?" I asked as he yawned softly, holding his bag over his shoulder.

"Second," he replied, looking up at me and sighing. The bags under his eyes seemed more obvious now that he was chilling out.

We walked in silence for a while, Matsuyama pulling out his phone with a pair of headphones. "What kind of music do you listen to?" I asked as Matsuyama started to try and untangle them, looking up at me for a brief moment before returning his attention to his headphones.

"Um… I dunno… Chill pop? Is that a genre?" He mumbled, more focused on the tangled mess of headphones than the question.

I chuckled softly, staring down at him as I realized how short he was. I mean, I'm about 190 centimeters, but he didn't even come up to my shoulders. He was so tiny. "So what was with that whole anime bravado earlier?" I pressed, Matsuyama glaring at me a little.

"Hm… I dunno. I feel like I'd be more likeable if I was a cutesy and excitable boy. Plus my height and my hair play into it," he explained, sighing softly as he finally got them undone, plugging them into his phone. I stared down at him, noticing his hair now too. Fluffy and strawberry blonde. He was right, he might seem a lot cuter to everyone if he acted like that. Especially the weebs.

We walked in silence again, the school in sight as he only had one headphone in his ear, humming along to the music that could be heard from his headphones. He'd occasionally whisper-sing some lyrics. "What class are you in?" I asked, Matsuyama looking up at me. _His eyes are the color of robin eggs_.

"Hm? Oh, 2-C," he replied, turning his music down a little as I nodded, smiling a little.

"I used to be in that class." I suggested as he looked up at me, shrugging softly.

"Oh, that's cool, Kaneko-senpai," he smiled before returning his attention to his phone, the two of us walking through the school gates along with several other students. I sighed softly, starting to walk ahead a little bit since he seemed like he didn't really care to talk. Matsuyama didn't seem to notice, so I walked to the school and over to my locker, opening it while slipping off my shoes. I stepped into my indoor shoes, tapping my toes on the floor to make sure they were on all the way before putting my outdoor shoes into my locker. I sighed softly, my backpack resting on my shoulder as I turned. Matsuyama was already making friends with some girls, putting on the whole anime act again. _Disgusting. I don't want him as a friend if he's gonna be like that_.

I started down the hall, about to turn to the stairwell before hearing rapid footsteps approaching. A girl slammed into me, the girl falling to the ground as I just had to take a step back to maintain balance. "Watch where you're going, airhead!" I shouted as she got up, rubbing her bum softly. Her hair was brown with gorgeous curls that complimented her big, chestnut eyes.

"Sorry! Oh, Kaneko-san!" She said as I cocked an eyebrow up, kind of curious as to how she knew my name and who she even was.

"Yeah, that's me. Who're you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a little as the white locks fell in front of my eyes.

She looked at me in for a moment, before blushing a deep red. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Wakahisa Asako," she smiled. I could feel a light blush creep on my cheeks. She was adorable. Before I could ask what she wanted, she turned to her backpack, pulling out a notepad. "Do you know a kid named… Matsuyama… Kimushi? What…?" She mumbled, not able to read her own handwriting.

"Matsuyama Kyoshi? Oh, um… I mean, I don't really know him, we just met today… Wait didn't he just transfer here?" I asked, confused as Wakahisa looked up at me, more puzzled than I was.

"What? No! I mean, he moved here last year but, no, he didn't just transfer here," she explained, crossing her arms before looking at me with reddish cheeks. "So, wait, you aren't friends with him?" She asked as I nodded at her.

"Correct we are not fr-"

"Can you give this to him please! All his friends are girls and they just tease me about it!" She pleaded as I stared at her, the girl holding out a pink envelope with a heart sticker as a sealing. I pouted my lips to the side, looking away before clicking my tongue.

"I dunno, Waka-chan," I smirked, just teasing a little as she yanked her head up in panic. Her expression quickly changed as she realized I was joking, slapping my arm softly as I laughed quietly. "Yeah, sure. Here, gimme your email so I can tell you what he says!" I smiled, cackling in the back of my head as an evil plan developed. _Just don't give it to him and tell her he said no. Then swoop in and comfort her!_

"Yeah, sure, Neko-san," she spoke, pulling out her phone as I frowned at the nickname.

"Don't spread that to Matsuyama-san. He'll start calling me that and would never stop…" I mumbled, pulling my phone out as well before unlocking it and opening contacts. I looked up to see she had a pink flip phone with and charm from Madoka Magika hanging off. "Ah, you like that anime? Me too," I smiled, gesturing to her keychain as she smiled at me, giggling a little.

"Cool," was all she replied with. _Sigh, I guess she really doesn't want to talk to me._ The two of us traded phones and typed out emails in, the bell going off right after we finished. "Thanks, Neko-san!" She called as she walked off, a goofy smile growing on my face as I just nodded at her.

"Yo, Kaneko-senpai! Wanna hang out after school?" Matsuyama's voice asked as I was about to start heading up the stairwell.

"Um, yeah I guess. We're neighbors, so. Whatever," I replied, shrugging before turning and starting up the stairs. Matsuyama started following me, which I suppose wasn't uncommon since he was a second year. But he didn't start down the second class hallways and continued to follow me. "Matsuyama, get to class before you're late," I demanded, not even looking at him as he sighed, shrugging.

"Fine~ Bossy Kaneko-senpai," he mumbled, turning and going back the way we had headed as I walked into my classroom just as the teacher began attendance.


	3. Target

_3: Target_

" _He said he wasn't interested._

" _Oh, really? That's a shame…"_

" _Yeah… But, um… I'm single…"_

" _Oh, I see. Then let's date, Neko-san."_

I smiled as I remembered the scene, my heart fluttering as I thought about it. _Mm… Asako-chan is so cute…_ I slipped into a black, cotton jacket, a blue tshirt underneath. We'd arranged a date a that day, and I was getting ready to go out with her.

I slipped into a pair of black skinny jeans before looking at myself in the mirror. The white hair didn't work with all of this. I quickly changed out of the current outfit, putting on a peach tshirt and a white, wool sweater. under that was a pair of khakis with white converse. It looked a little more feminine than planned, but it was fine.

I walked out of my apartment, Matsuyama outside with some potted plants in his window. "Oh, hey Kaneko-san," The boy smiled, in a big, turtle neck shirt and blue skinny jeans. "Are you going somewhere?" He asked as I nodded excitedly.

"Actually, I am! Asako-chan and I have a date!" I smiled, Matsuyama pausing as he seemed a little shocked and angry.

"Kaneko-senpai, you really shouldn't be going out with Wakahisa-san…" he advised me, seeming very serious before I just laughed softly, taking it as a joke.

"What? You jealous I have a date with Asako?" I teased as Matsuyama stared at me with narrow eyes.

"Kaneko. Don't go on the date," Matsuyama looked me deep in the eye, his lids narrowing a little over the ocean blue orbs. I stared at him, my lips pouting out of habit as I looked away awkwardly.

"Um, I'm gonna go now," I mumbled softly, turning around as Matsuyama marched up to me. He was about to grab my wrist before I turned, furrowing my eyebrows in frustration. "Matsuyama-san, leave me alone! I don't care what happened with you and Asako-chan, I'm going!" I argued, watching him back off and look down, playing with the ends of his sleeves shyly.

I sighed softly, looking away and ruffling his hair softly. It felt like cotton, although there wasn't a single knot in the fluff. "Sorry, I didn't mean to flip out like that…" I whispered, slowly pulling my hand away before Matsuyama giggled softly.

"Kaneko-senpai, you're blushing," he smiled, causing me to put a hand to my cheek and feel how warm it was. "Ah, it's cute. I like it," Matsuyama continued, reaching up and ruffling my hair. He was like a child to me, only about five feet tall compared to me, the six foot giant. In order to reach my head, he had to get on his toes, making little grunting noises that made my cheeks feel warmer.

"Yeah… Um… anyways, I'm running late. Bye," I mumbled, seeming a little distant as I started walking away. I headed down the road a little bit staring down at the sidewalk as I thought about it. _Why would he not want me to date Asako…? Did she do something to him…? I wonder._

I looked up as I was nearing the shop I was supposed to meet Asako at, seeing her with the top of her phone resting on her lips. Her brown hair gently touched her shoulders that were uncovered by the beach yellow tank top. She also wore a dirty pink skirt with pink and white striped leggings with black UGG boots. "Asako-chan!" I smiled, running up to her with pinkish cheeks, seeing her yank her head up.

"Ah, Neko-san!" She smiled, causing me to sigh. "Ready?" She asked sweetly, putting her phone in her boot as I nodded at her.

"Yeah! Do you wanna go eat first? Maybe a book store? What about an arcade?" I suggested as she shrugged softly, looking up at me.

"I don't know… Whatever you wanna do!" She smiled, caressing my face as I blushed softly. "Ah, did you shave today? You've got some stubble," she smiled sweetly as I went red in the face.

"Oh, crap, I didn't! Sorry, I probably look unkept," I worried, frowning at the ground before she just giggled, ruffling my hair softly. I smiled a little as I looked at her shyly, seeing a shimmering grin on her face that made me feel happier.

Our date went from day into the night. I was walking her home from the arcade where we played some dancing games. Sweat was still dripping down my face as we held hands, giggling on the sidewalk together. She stopped in front of an apartment complex, pulling me to a stop as well as she tucked some hair behind her ear. "I had a fun time, Neko-san," She mumbled as I smiled, caressing her cheek softly.

"I did too, Asako-chan. We should do this again, sometime," I said softly, watching her nod in agreement before leaning up and kissing me softly. I blushed softly as I let the feeling process, smiling a little as I kissed her back.

She was starting to get a little rougher with the kiss, softly biting on my lips before suddenly biting too hard, breaking some of the skin. I yanked my head away and held my lips softly, groaning in pain as I noticed large, long shadows moving through the light. "I'm sorry, Neko-san," Asako giggled as I looked at her. Her eyes were a pitch black with red irises and bloodshot eyes. Behind her back were thick, yellow, spider-like legs that blocked the light.


	4. Prey

_4: Prey_

My eyes went wide as I realized what was going to happen. I quickly pulled away from her, running to the right as her kagune grabbed me. It felt disgusting, cold and stiff like tree branches in the winter.

"Ahaha! You're not getting away, sweety!" She cackled, her laugh now sounding disgusting and scratchy. Tears filled my eyes as I struggled in the yellow, thin kagune, whimpering as I continuously tried to escape.

"L-Lemme go!" I yelled, suddenly feeling the legs starting to pull my left arm. "Stop! No, stop!" I yelled, screaming loudly as I felt it pop out of the socket, the monster smirking at me.

She suddenly stopped, staring at something down the narrow, secluded street a bit. "Asako-san…" the voice mumbled. It was familiar and had a calming tone to it. "You know not to eat on my grounds." A purple glow came from the opponent, so I gathered all my strength and looked back.

The ghoul had a pitch black mask with no eye holes and a long string coming out that swirled on the end. They wore a black hoodie, the hood covering the rest of their head as they also had black pants and a pair of red converse. Behind them, though, was the one of the most gorgeous things I've ever seen. A wide, purple, fiery kagune glowed behind the ghoul. _Like a butterfly._

"Butterfly?!" Was all Asako could scream before the stranger ghoul seemed to disappear, the only thing being seen was a black blur before I was suddenly released, falling to the ground as Asako was kicked by the monster. She flew pretty far, slamming into a wall as the ghoul slowly approached me. I cowered in fear, not being able to move because of the terrorizing thought of being eaten alive.

"Hey," the ghoul whispered as I opened my eyes, seeing the black clothed ghoul squatting beside me, the purple wings setting a soothing tone with the soft glow they gave. "Are you alright?" They asked quietly as I relaxed, nodding softly. I couldn't help but wonder if this was just another trick, but it was so comforting I couldn't help but fall into it. "Your arms looks bad. We should get you to the hospital. I'll call you an ambulance," they whispered before being tossed aside, the cold legs wrapping around me again and this time stabbing into my stomach.

I screamed in pain as all my organs hurt, feeling something trying to be yanked out before the mystery ghoul returned to the rescue, tossing her down as their kagune grew, the wings touching back to back before flapping down violently, long spike emerging and plunging into every part of Asako's body.

"Kaneko-senpai, are you- Oh my gosh, Kaneko!" the ghoul yelled, my vision getting blurry before I blacked out.


	5. Confused

_5: Confused_

I woke up in the hospital bed with a gasp, panting heavily as I then clutched my chest tightly. _I-I'm alive… I'm alive!_ I couldn't think about anything else, taking one last deep breath as I smiled, having only a few more seconds of joy and relief before pain filled my stomach, looking under my hospital gown to see stitches lining my stomach.

I lied down again with a soft groan before letting out a sigh, looking over at the hospital chairs in the room. My mom and dad were asleep beside each other, accompanied by my younger sister, Rikuko, also asleep. The odd one out, though, was Matsuyama, the boy sitting in the chair nervously, having been too busy staring at the ground and being consumed by his own thoughts.

"Matsuyama-san…" I mumbled softly, still not getting his attention before whistling softly, the boy jerking his head up at me with nerves on end. His eyes went wide as he saw me, smiling a big, toothy grin. I smiled softly back, not being able to help it since his happiness was so infectious. "Hey… Why're you here?" I asked him as he got up, approaching the bed with quiet, almost silent steps.

"I heard what happened and I got super worried!" He explained, the high pitch of his voice causing me to not believe a word of what he said. I narrowed my eyes on him as he sighed, looking away and putting a hand behind his head. He relaxed more, his smile turning to more of a normal person's, but still radiating as much joy as the last one. "Alright, I was worried. I'm your neighbor and you're my senpai, I gotta look out for you," he chuckled softly, punching my arm softly as I laughed a little.

"Wow, what a nerd," I teased, Matsuyama raising his eyebrows before laughing a little.

"You're one to talk," he giggled back, smiling at me a while longer before kneeling by my bed side. "So, what happened? I heard you got attacked by a ghoul," Matsuyama asked, genuinely seeming worried now. The last anyone heard about someone surviving from such an intense ghoul attack was that kid in the 20th ward, and he wasn't doing very well, as covered by news media. Then again, news media glorified things like that, trying to strike more fear into the public.

"Yeah, it turns out Asako-chan was a ghoul! And she was gonna eat me!" I exclaimed, shivering softly at the thought of the cold, thin legs wrapping around me again. Matsuyama looked a little frustrated though, staring at me intently.

"I knew it! I told you that you shouldn't have gone… Anyways, what happened, how'd you survive an injury like that?" Matsuyama asked as he looked at his cloth covered stomach, the worried face returning.

"Oh, right! So this really cool ghoul came out of nowhere and like beated her up and then they tried to help me up, but Asako-chan came and knocked them down as she tore into my stomach! She would have started eating me if it hadn't been for that ghoul knocking her down again. I'm not sure, but I think they killed her… I kinda blacked out," I explained, Matsuyama staring at me in awe.

"What'd the ghoul look like?" He asked me, looking up at me, then back to my injury, then back up at me.

"Oh gosh, it was gorgeous! They dressed in all black and they're mask was black with like a curly thing poking out along with a huge, bright purple kagune that looked like wings! Oh my gosh, it was so beautiful and comforting…" I explained, reminiscing a little of the soft light and the quiet voice of the stranger ghoul asking me if I was okay.

"Oh my gosh, the butterfly? Dude, he's so dangerous! You should be careful from now on, he's probably leading you on!" Matsuyama exclaimed, seeming more worried about me than I was.

I looked away and sighed, knowing Matsuyama was probably right. "I really don't think so… If he was leading me on, he would've eaten me then and there…" I refueded, Matsuyama seeming a little concerned. When I looked back at him, tears were filling his eyes as he grabbed my hand, his head falling onto my chest.

"You could've died… I'm so sorry…" Matsuyama whimpered as he sobbed, holding my hand tightly. I turned and looked at him, confused as to why _he_ was crying. He was just my neighbor, we've only known each other a couple days. "Kaneko-senpai… I know you think of us as just neighbors… but I've wanted to be your friend for so long now! And now that I am, I almost lost you… I dunno, it's weird…" He continued, nuzzling his head into my chest.

I wasn't really sure how to respond to this… at all. I just looked down awkwardly, really confused by why he was so worked up. Thankfully, my family was woken up by Matsuyama crying, saving me from the awkward situation.

"Hibiki! Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" My mom exclaimed, quickly getting up and running over. She hugged over Matsuyama, both of them crying as I just tried to laugh it off a little. "Stop laughing! You almost died!" My mom yelled at me, my sister walking over and keeping her hands in front of her as she tried her best not to cry.

"You alright, Rikuko?" I asked her as she nodded, taking a deep breath and running a hand through her long, black hair.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Just… Got a little scared is all…" She mumbled before smiling a little. "Glad you're okay."

I stared at my family for a while, my dad still sitting in the chair as he cried to himself, obviously trying to hide it. Matsuyama looked up at me and wrapped his arms around my neck, nuzzling his face underneath my head. I blushed softly, about to speak up before catching the faint smell of apples off his hair, just sighing softly. "Matsuyama, calm down… I'm alive and well…" I reassured him as he sniffled softly, being quiet for a moment before I realized he was wiping his nose on the hospital gown I had on. "Hey, ass hole! Quit it!"


	6. Return

6: Return

I walked out of our apartment for the first time in a while, considering I had been recovering in the hospital for such a long time. It was time to get to school and catch up, and let me tell you, I was absolutely, positively, not prepared to go back to school and have to catch up on everything. Matsuyama never bothered to bring me my homework since he said "it won't matter anyways," or he'd just forget it, and my sister just thought it was a bother to go get it, and since I'm not very close to anyone else at school, I felt shy and didn't want to bother them about stuff like that or make them worry.

But this all got me thinking. With the time I spent not doing my homework and waking up from the traumatizing nightmares of being ripped limb from limb, it made me think about my relationship with Matsuyama… I haven't known him all that long, but… I feel oddly close to him. He has this really relaxed feel to him that makes anyone feel like you can tell him your whole life story and he would sit with you and listen closely and really be there for you. And he seems like the person to not want to have fake friends or such, and instead just cut it off when he's no longer needed. And I found myself hoping that Matsuyama wouldn't stop being my friend.

As I walked down the stairs of the top residence, a loud clash came from upstairs as a small smile grew on my face, looking up to see Matsuyama running out the door and almost throwing himself over the railing from the speed he was coming. He slammed the door shut behind him, probably waking up the rest of my family, along with our other neighbors, and nearly slipped down the metal stairway before he jumped at me and threw his arms around me. The two of us fell from the impact, the bubbly boy laughing loudly as I just grumbled.

"Welcome back, Neko-senpai!" He smiled as I rolled my eyes at him.

"First of all, don't call me that. Second of all, you've seen me every day I was in the hospital. And third, what the hell!" I scolded him, shoving him off of me as I now remembered how annoying he was.

Matsuyama laughed, though, getting up from the ground and immediately helping me wipe off anything that got on my uniform. "Sorry, Neko-senpai, it's just nice to see you up and around again!" He smiled, this one not like the fake one he'd flash at groups of girls around him. This morning, his happiness was sincere and just for me.

"How bothersome, you're too bubbly today," I protested as I started walking, taking out my phone along with a pair of earbuds. Matsuyama followed beside me, following in my actions as he got his music playing in his ears before I could, since I was still trying to untangle my headphones.

He left one earbud out, music blasting from it as his face slowly changed back to a content expression. The music seemed to calm him down. "Hey," I called to him as he looked up at me, seeming kind of tired. "Mind if I listen?" The boy shrugged as he grabbed the dangling earbud, hanging it to me as he smiled at him. Loud rock music blared through the headphones, a nice change of pace compared to the easy acoustic I find myself listening to. This kind of music made you feel invincible, but Matsuyama looked tired when he would listen to this, causing me to wonder what he's thinking about when he listens. He's probably just caught up in his thoughts and without conversation, he probably gets tired easily while listening.

"You listen to some good music. I like it," I said to him, looking down at him as his cheeks went a soft red.

Yet all I got in reply was a simple "Thank you," his head returning to looking ahead as the tired look on his face turned to a scowl. He shook his head a little, the earbud almost falling from my ear. It had been slipping from my ear repeatedly as we walked, my eyes wandering to his ears. They were really small. He was really small.

With headphones in our ears like this, we were nearly stepping on top of each other, but he was warm. It was nice. I shoved my hands in my pockets as he couldn't help from staring at him a little bit, Matsuyama seeming to notice this but not bothering to say anything in return.


	7. Webs

7: Webs

I walked into class, leaving Matsuyama at the door as I waved goodbye as he just responded with a quiet "yeah" and left, slipping both earbuds in. I sighed softly, heading to my seat before noticing a light brown head of hair across the room. My eyes darted over I panic, landing on the villainous Wakahisa sitting in her seat. I suddenly found myself trying to back away from her, breathing heavily as she suddenly make eye contact with me. I tried running away, slamming into a desk and falling over as the whole class turned their attention towards me.

Wakahisa stared at me in a false sense of confusion and worry, my breathing hitching again as the teacher ran over to me. "Kaneki-san, are you okay!" The teacher asked as tears filled my eyes, things starting to stop processing now as my vision flashed between locking eyes with Wakahisa and staring into the eyes of a ghoul who was about to eat me.

"S-Stay away!" I yelled as I crawled back, slamming into another chair and proceeding to knock it over.

I looked over at the teacher as she yelled at someone, the kid then bolting out of the room, my hearing being filled with the creaking sounds of her kagune. Wakahisa seemed to disappear from in front of me as I felt a quiet whisper in my ear. "I'm going to eat you…"

I screamed as I snapped back to reality, breathing hard as I looked around in panicked, trying my best to avoid Wakahisa. Who else could be a ghoul in here! Oh god, fuck, who else could be a ghoul! My thoughts were taking over before the the nurse rushed in and kneeled down beside me, telling everyone to back up.

"Are you alright?" She asked as I tried to take hold of my thoughts, looking at her as my whole body shook. I tried taking a deep breathing, shaking my head side to side as the teacher and the nurse helped me up, my legs almost immediately giving out as they caught me.

"W-W-Wakahisa-san i-is…" I mumbled, looking back at her as the teacher and nurse followed my eyes, my words getting caught in my throat. "She's a… She's… She's a…"

They just continued to carry me off as u continued to shiver, my heavy breathing following me all the way to the nurse's office.

I sat in the bed for a while, taking some deep breaths as anxiety swarmed around me, my breaths starting to stagger as I thought more and more. I thought she was dead… I put my head in my hands, sniffling softly as I tried to forget about the incident. "Is Kaneko Hibiki here…?" A gentle voice asked from behind the curtains, my head yanking itself up from sorrow.

"Yes, but he isn't in a position to be seeing anyone right now…"

"Oh, I see-"

"Wait, Matsuyama-san!" I protested, sticking my head from behind the curtain before looking down a little, being a little startled by how quickly I got up at the sound of his voice. "Can you… Stay and talk to me…?" I asked him, Matsuyama smiling before the nurse looked back at him.

"Where are you supposed to be, young man?" She asked him, my want to talk to him suddenly faltering.

"Ah, I'm in gym class right now! I actually came to get a wrap on my foot because I think I twisted my ankle!" Matsuyama smiled at the nurse, knowing how to get past a situation like that.

The nurse looked at him with suspicion, but sighed softly, knowing he was lying and just figuring she could avoid his complaints by just letting him in. "You can go ahead and talk to him," she mumbled, Matsuyama's face lighting up as he ran over to me, pushing behind the curtain with me.

"Hey, I heard something happened today…" He mumbled, sitting on the bed as I plopped down next to him with a sigh. "You alright?" He reassured, making me feel a little better.

I remained quiet for a moment, biting my lip as I thought about the horrific experience. I opened my mouth to say something before biting my lip again, Matsuyama putting a hand on my thigh and rubbing it softly with his thumb. "H-Hey… That's a little gay, don't you think?" I stated.

Matsuyama blushed deeply and took his hand away immediately, looking away as he tried to play it off. "Pfft… Gay? Absolutely not, how disgusting," he replied, causing me to chuckle a little bit. I couldn't help but then look at his thighs, noticing his shorts were riding up enough to glimpse at his boxers a little bit, and the light, blonde hairs running down it. I blushed softly, picking my head back up as Matsuyama continued to look away, not wanting to make eye contact, obviously. He must feel awkward about it. Maybe he's just touchy…

"A-Anyways, I just… I saw Asako-san… And something went off and scared the shit out of me…" I explained, looking over at him with a light blush as he still refused to look back at me. "Do you think The Butterfly would protect me again…?" I asked, thinking about how peaceful the purple lights and warm wings were again. And his voice was great too… So calming and sweet and caring.

Matsuyama flinched a little bit at the mention, his cheeks rising a little with his smile as they got redder. "I think he will…" Matsuyama replied, finally turning and facing me again with a big, flashy smile. THUMP. Thump? No, wait… Matsuyama-san is a guy… No thump, no thump! I looked down, starting to shake my leg as I thought about it more. No! No… I would never date Matsuyama-san… I'm not gay! I tried to continuously reassure myself of that fact but the thought of Matsuyama and I together rang stronger. I sighed before shaking those thoughts away, Matsuyama looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly as I looked over at him, my cheeks an obvious bright red. "Your face is red! Are you feeling alright?" He asked worriedly, his eyebrows furrowing up as I just sighed, putting my head in my hands as I shook my head.

We sat together in silence for a while, Matsuyama being very fidgety as he moved around a little. The thing that broke the silence and calmed us both was the sound of the nurse burping loudly and her quiet "Oh gosh, excuse me." The two of us laughed softly together as I took my head out of my hands, looking at the boy as he laughed loudly. The thumping returned. Noooo! No! No, no, no! Stop that! Maybe it's just because he looks girly sometimes… Yeah, I just can't tell the difference! We both calmed down a little as he just continued smiling at me.

"Hey, I have a request for you," I said, my tone becoming more serious as Matsuyama quickly settled down, his face becoming neutral again as a wave of relief swept over me from that. "I wanna go report Asako-san to the CCG… Can you come with me?" I asked, looking over to see a frustrated Matsuyama looking down into his lap.

He grumbled softly as he ran a hand through his hair, sighing a little. "I, um… I can't…"


	8. G

I sighed as I flopped into bed, still having all of my uniform on as I was nearing a deep sleep. School was rough that day, I had gotten confessed to by some 3rd year. The only reason it was so tiring was because, well… He was a guy. I feel pretty disgusted by his feelings, but it also made me put a lot in perspective. I always thought being gay was disgusting, but it got me thinking about if my sister was gay, if any of my friends were gay… I wouldn't reject them. I felt bad for them, they'd have to go through life being discriminated by shits like me.

My thoughts were broken as I received a text from Matsuyama, looking over at my lit up phone and unlocking it with a long password I had put in place after my sister broke in and sent everyone the word "vagina." He said he wanted me to come over immediately, explaining in a very lengthy paragraph that there was something he needed to get off his chest.

I got myself up off my bed, barely being able to walk with how exhausted I was. But I wouldn't turn Matsuyama away, he was my best friend. I walked out of the house, yelling to my sister where I was going as she responded with "I don't care." I rolled my eyes and walked out the door, taking just a couple steps before knocking on Matsuyama's door. I admired the flowers sitting on the window outside every time I came over, and I realized that I hadn't been to his place in a while. I wonder if he changed much.

The door opened, a nervous looking Matsuyama standing in the doorway as he tried to smile at me, seeming genuinely scared of me, at that moment. "C-C-Come in," he stuttered out, his voice cracking at the end as his face got redder than it was, causing me to laugh a little and walk past him, ruffling his fluffy hair. It was so soft, and I always noticed that about him. I noticed almost everything about him when I saw him, every little change, everything that stayed the same, every time his hair was getting a little long, every time his expression changed in the slightest. I noticed dimples on him the other day when he was laughing. It made me really happy for some, odd reason.

"So what's going on?" I asked as I took my blazer off, having forgotten to get changed as he was already in a pair of sweatpants and a large tshirt. Cute… No it's not. Matsuyama-san is not cute… I lied down on the bed, still sort of drifting in and out of consciousness, which was apparently obvious as Matsuyama's nervousness was replaced with worry.

"I… Um, okay… Are you okay? You seem tired-"

"Spit it out, Matsuyama-san," I giggled, knowing he was going to try and distract me and himself if he didn't do something about it right now.

"Okay. Okay, okay…" He reassured himself a few times, looking down before taking a deep breath. "This is really hard to tell you, because I don't know if you'll be accepting of who I am… But, um, okay… Well, Kaneko-senpai…" Matsuyama paused and looked at me, my tired and relaxed eyes staring back at him as I could see a sudden burst in confidence from that. "I'm a g-!" The confidence was quickly lost as he paused, seeming to have realized what he was doing and stopping himself. He sighed and looked down, seeming a little more fidgety now. "I'm gay…" He mumbled, my eyes going wide.

"Woah, what!" I yelled, regretting it the minute I did because he seemed he was on the verge of tears, covering his mouth as looking at me with glassy, red eyes. I sighed and looked away for a moment, staring at the wall above me. "Matsuyama-san, you know I'll always be your friend and accept you for who you are…" I mumbled before looking at him and smiling as I sat up. I opened my arms to him as he finally let himself cry, running at me and flinging his arms around me. I could feel his heart pounding against my chest as I rubbed his back to calm him down, the boy squeezing me tight as he could.

"Thank you, Kaneko-senpai! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Matsuyama cried as he burrowed his face into the crook of my neck, his warm tears sliding onto my skin as I felt myself blush a little bit. Why do I feel my heart pounding too… Why does he feel so right in my arms… I was so angered and frustrated by these feelings always circling around me, and I felt it only when I was with him… Or The Butterfly, that ghoul was absolutely gorgeous in every way, even if I couldn't see their face, their body, or even hear their real voice.

"Of course, Matsuyama-san…" I mumbled, smiling as he looked up at me.

"Kyoushi…" He whispered as I looked at him in a bit of confusion.

"What?"

"Call me Kyoushi," he repeated as I blushed a little bit. What! Why am I getting so worked up about this! Isn't this normal, we're good friends, after all. Why is this such a big deal for me!

"Kyoushi…" I mumbled as I could feel his face heat up on my neck, not bothering to look down as I knew he was red in the face. And that fact made me happy, for some odd reason… "So who do you have a crush on, Kyoushi-kun?" I asked as he just got warmer and warmer, bringing my attention to him. I looked down and saw how cute he looked buried into the crook of my neck, how innocent he seemed as I smiled a little. "Who's the senpai you were jacking off to?" I teased as he jumped a little, making me giggle at him.

"I… Um… I don't wanna say! Stop teasing me!" He shouted before starting to laugh with me, tackling me over as I easily lifted him off me.

"You're light."

"And you're dumb." The two of us continued to laugh before I finally got too tired, yawning a little as I put him down beside me.

"I'm taking a nap here," I mumbled, as I started taking off my jacket and loosening the tie around my neck, Kyoushi blushing softly.

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" He asked as I glanced over at him, shrugging sleepily. I unbuttoned my shirt and slipped it off before then moving to my belt. "W-W-Wait! Don't take your pants off here!" He sputtered as he went to grab the hands around my belt, both our faces getting red when his fingers brushed up on the seam of my pants. "Ahhhhh, um! S-Sorry!" He continued to stumble over his words as I sighed, slipping my belt off and tossing it to the side before rolling over, facing the wall as I snuggled up in his bed.

"I'm never gonna get over how comfy your bed is…" I mumbled, the two of us giggling a little as he went and sat at his desk, starting to work on something on his laptop. I quickly fell asleep, being too tired to stay awake any longer, but about an hour later, when I woke up, I was welcomed by the feeling of skin against my back, nice and warm. I looked over my shoulder to see Kyoushi lying down, asleep beside me as I felt myself blush a little.

Ugh… Shit, he's cute… Why is he so cute… I wonder if any girl would be cuter than him… I rolled over slowly, not wanting to wake him up as I wrapped my arms around him, getting a little swept up in the moment. I stared at him for a little while, nuzzling my face into his sweet scented hair, the smell of apples filling my nose. It was distinct and, once again, cute. Fuck, Kyoushi… You're really screwing up my head… With everything about Kyoushi swirling around me, I continued to roll with the moment, staring at him for a while before leaning over and giving his soft looking lips a little kiss, my face immediately going red as I was thankful he didn't wake up.

"Shit… I think I like you…"


	9. Safety

_8: Safety_

I began working at a different, more crowded convenience store, having taken The Butterfly's advice, since I knew he wasn't going to be able to save me forever. "Have a nice night," I smiled at the last customer, sighing as I glanced at the clocks on display, sighing a little bit. _9:34… Only a half hour until closing…_ The door rang softly as I looked up at the sliders, seeing Kyoushi walk in as I blushed a little. _No! None of that, now, you're just being stupid. Insane in the membrane._ He looked up at me, the both of us locking eyes as he took a moment before I saw the familiar look of shock spread across his face.

"Woah, Neko-senpai, you're working here?" Kyoushi shouted as he ran up to the counter, of course stopping halfway there to grab himself a bag of chips. He rested his elbows on the counter as the bags wrinkled on the surface, trying to calm myself down as I stared at him. _That was so cute, I love the way he did that, it was hilarious too. Shit, fuck me._

"I told you to stop calling me that," I complained as I slumped over a little bit, letting out a frustrated grunt as I looked away from him. I pouted my lip out, trying to find how to say the next sentence as everything seemed to go in slow motion, my mind knowing he was gonna spout something stupid and playful. "Hibiki is fine…" I mumbled to myself, my face getting redder as I glanced up at him.

Kyoushi was absolutely stunned, the obvious tease quickly disappearing and being replaced with a panicked, red face, followed by a ton of sputtering before he could finally spout the word, "alright." The two of us remained quiet for a moment, neither of us looking at each other as I didn't want to feel my heart racing any faster than it already was. _Fuck, I probably embarrassed him, and a lot too… Shit, maybe that was too far, maybe he's one of those people who doesn't like affection returned, maybe he doesn't feel all that close to me anymore? We haven't been talking as often, I wonder if he hates me and that's why he was so shocked to see me-_ "Sorry, Hi-Hi… Hibiki. Just got a little caught off guard…" He mumbled, making me get redder as he spoke. _Fuck, he's so cute!_

I took the chance I had to make the mood less awkward as quickly as possible, a smirk crawling on my face as I leaned on the counter a little bit, Kyoushi blushing harder as I giggled a little, laughing off my nervousness and the butterflies in my stomach. "Did I embarrass you~?" I teased, watching as he was quick to compose himself, pressing his nose to mine.

"Maybe a little, but the one with the redder face was _you~_ " he countered, my shoulders twitching as a flinch to his suddenly suave tone. _Fuck, he's so cute, I wanna kiss him so bad, I don't think he'd mind either, I could just-_ I was unconsciously leaning in for the kiss, but Kyoushi was already pulling away once I started pushing my way in, kind of thankful that he did so. "Anyways, why'd you switch work places?" Kyoushi asked as I scanned the bag of chips, watching the boy put up a finger before I could even think about the reason why. "Hold on, I wanna get more shit," he laughed softly, turning and wandering away.

I watched him closely, though, watching as his blonde hair bobbed through the aisles, although he was so short. _I wanna know our height difference, we would be so cute together… The giant and the gnome…_ My thoughts of such were broken when I watched him bend at the waist to grab something from the aisle in front of me. Of course, being the disgustingly horny teenager I was, I had to notice the perfect curves his jeans made as they outlined his butt. My mind wandered from thoughts of fluff to the perviest thoughts possible, surprising myself with how quickly that turned. I hadn't seen him naked yet, and I began to wonder just how big his, well… y'know, thing was, and just how soft his butt would feel, how pink and perky his nipples would be, just how cute he'd be when he came. And then I remembered I was definitely a heterosexual male, my red face just getting redder as I mentally scolded myself.

As he brought up his items, screams were heard from the streets, the two of us flinching as we immediately looked out the window in panic. We had already known what was going on, we just weren't sure if we had the time to do anything about it. A ghoul was in the middle of the crowd of people, their kagune being a gorgeous aqua-marine and very liquid like. "Looks like an S rated ghoul. We need to lock up and get out of here," I stated as I pressed a button beside the register, the doors locking and the glass being covered in an iron wall. It was a new mechanism that most shops and restaurants had enabled to keep their citizens safe, my breath escaping my lungs in relief that such a thing had actually worked.

"Hibiki, we need to help the people out there!" Kyoushi scolded me as I felt guilty and conflicted and panicked and angry and sad and scared and all the feelings quickly built up, my breath picking up a little.

"B-B-B-But what about u-u-u-u-us, Kyoushi-kun! We don't have time for o-o-o-o-other people if we wanna save ourse-"

"Hibiki, open that shit up _right now!_ " He yelled at me as I instead let my knees give out, huddling behind the desk like a scaredy baby. I could hear Kyoushi groan in frustration, almost seeing the eye roll through the counter as he ran to the counter, pressing the button again as it undid all the security measures, seeing tons of people dead already, and no CCG members in sight yet.

I cowered behind the counter, crying my eyes out as I actually thought I was gonna die, the panic shooting through me faster and faster with every heartbeat. Then, a purple light filled the room, the light only lasting a second, but being more calming than anything else I'd ever experienced. I took a moment to collect myself as I heard a battle cry that fell away with the light, trying to put the pieces of such an obvious puzzle together. About to pick my head up and look over the counter, there was the sound of glass shattering, followed by loud grunting and screaming while aisles of items were knocked over.

"Get off me! You ignorant swine, trying to protect these people!" A voice shouted, followed by a scream as I covered my ears, praying that he couldn't see me, or smell me, or whatever ghouls do. I wanted to go chase after Kyoushi, I wanted to help, I wanted to be a hero, but my body just wouldn't do anything besides shake and panic. "Say something, you fucking moth! Thinking you're such a hero for protecting these people!" The voice continued followed by a series of what sounded like moving water and screams.

There was a moment of silence, or rather, people screaming in the streets, and the loud panting of whatever other ghoul was in the shop. The next sound was flesh being penetrated, a new, but familiar sound to me as I gasped, breathing hard as I hoped it was The Butterfly in the room by the way the man talked, hoped the good ghoul was alive.

"Hey," a deep voice called, being surprised by it as I had no idea what or who it was. "You can come out now…" The voice whispered as the purple light approached, large wings wrapping around me as the color in them moved like fire, the warm and comfortable feeling returning. "Don't look." They whispered to me as I flinched a little, but soon felt a hand running through my hair. "The CCG will be here soon, so I've gotta go, but… Um…" The ghoul struggled as I lowered my head and closed my eyes to ensure I wouldn't see who it was, respect their identity. But they lifted my head, my eyes remaining closed but my lips being pressed against another pair. _Oh gosh, their lips are so soft… I wish I knew who they were…_

The ghoul was quick to leave after they pulled away, leaving me stunned as I leaned back against the counter, opening my eyes after a minute or so. I slowly came to my feet and looked at the ruined convenience store, the nostalgic and euphoric feeling quickly left me as I realized I would have to get a new job.

"Hibiki-kun!" Kyoushi shouted as he ran into the store, trying to avoid the broken glass. _Wait… Isn't Kyoushi-_ "I was so worried! I went to go help people in here, and then some other ghoul showed up, so I took some people to run away with me!" He explained as he stepped around the glass the best he could, jumping over the counter and hugging me tightly as a bright red filled my cheeks. _Nah, he can't be._

"I'm glad you're alright, I was worried…" I whispered to him as I rubbed his back, Kyoushi looking up at me.

"I saw the ghouls crash in here, and… I got so scared… I thought you might've been dead…" He explained as he grabbed me and held me tightly. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Hibiki-kun…" He whispered to me and nuzzled me softly, a smile creeping onto my face before I remembered something.

"The Butterfly was one of the ghouls that came in here!" I shouted, Kyoushi yanking his head up as he looked up at me with big eyes.

"Holy crap, are you alright!" He shouted as I smiled to myself a little.

"Yeah… They, um…" I started as I pressed my lips together for a moment. "They kissed me…"

Kyoushi looked up at me and raised his eyebrows. "Do you have a crush on him? Are you gay, Hibiki-kun!" He shouted, my face turning beet red as I didn't even know the ghoul was a boy.

Before I could answer, I heard quiet grunts from the ghoul on the floor of the convenience store, my arms suddenly tightening around Kyoushi in fear as he looked more defensive than scared. The ghoul growled lowly, slowly starting to stand up as he was still severely wounded, but lacked his kagune from weakness. The man looked at us and was about to make a run for it before a woman in a black overcoat stepped in, holding a silver briefcase that opened into a green, scythe-like kagune, Kyoushi and I both hanging onto each other for dear life as the woman was quick to take care of the ghoul.

A decapitated head lied on the floor as the two of us looked down in horror, Kyoushi balling up parts of my jacket into his hands as I looked at him in fear, then up at the woman. "Are you two okay?" She asked, her voice sweet and gentle as her heels clicked across the linoleum floor with every step she took toward us.

I stood in silence, still deathly afraid of what was going on, and trying to think about how not to act like a ghoul, even though I knew I wasn't one, and was just going to look suspicious. "I-I think we're fine… Are you hurt, Hibiki-kun?" Kyoushi asked me as I snapped from my frightening thoughts and looked down at him, trying to detense myself.

"I'm fine…" I mumbled out as the woman nodded at us, rummaging through her black trench coat and handing Kyoushi her business card.

"My name is Sayuri Maki, a member of the CCG," she started as Hibiki took the card from his hands, seeming to be really careful as to hold it with just his nails. "I would like to invite you two to the fifth ward headquarters this weekend. We'd like to ask some questions about what happened," she said to us as Kyoushi looked up at her, a look of defensiveness and tactical thinking as I thought about why he would stare at her like that. _Does she have a bad rep with the CCG? Maybe she knows Kyoushi and they had a bad past and she's trying to be fake kind. Why would he look at her like that?_

"I don't think I could make it _this_ weekend," Kyoushi sighed, holding the back of my jacket tightly as he stared at the card carefully. "Maybe another time, though. I'll call you about it," he explained as Maki then looked up at me, asking the same question without even having to say words.

"Oh, um… I'm not one hundred percent positive I'm actually free, but I'll definitely try to make _some_ kind of time," I responded, looking down with a worried expression, wondering what the questioning would be like. I wished Kyoushi would be going with me, and I wondered what kinds of plans he had that he couldn't go.


	10. Search

_9:Search_

Kyoushi and I headed home together like usual, talking with each other, sharing exciting stories that were really all that exciting to a high schooler, gossiping together about people in our separate grades that we didn't know, but would come to learn the names of eventually. Kyoushi laughed a little as he finished up his story about some kid in his class who got a hard on while changing for gym, and how he would "totally" go after him. It made me a little jealous… Okay, very jealous, but I wasn't going to stop him from being happy with someone. It made me a little depressed as I realized Kyoushi doesn't have as many options as someone like me, a straight man. I wanted him to find happiness with someone. _Jeez, stop talking about how hot this kid is before I get really hurt…_

Kyoushi cut himself short once we arrived at our apartment complex, looking up at the upper level and seeing people snooping around, even inside, Kyoushi's apartment. I looked over at him and saw how concerned he seemed, holding his bag tightly as he started to shake in panic. " _Shit…_ " He whispered to himself as he looked around really quick. Kyoushi grabbed me by both of my arms, glancing at all of the strange people at his apartment to make sure no one was looking. "Hibiki-senpai, I have to go…" He started as my eyes widened.

"Wha… Kyoushi-kun, why?" I asked desperately, Kyoushi looking down as he shook his head.

"I… I can't tell you… You might hate me for it… But, just… Say you haven't seen me today if they ask. Once I can, I'll be sure to contact you and let you know I'm okay," Kyoushi explained in a very hushed tone before taking his shoes off and running off, his footsteps being much quieter without the shoes.

 _Kyoushi-kun is going away? Where! Why! Who are the people in his apartment! Maybe it's family he doesn't like? Yeah, maybe he's just overreacting…_ I sighed as I walked over and made my way up the stairs of the complex, all of the strangers turning their heads towards me in a defensive manner. I stared at all of them in confusion, trying to play it dumb, like I had no idea what was going on. _It's like school… Just like lying to your teacher about the homework…_ "Um… Excuse me, who are you people?" I asked softly before a woman in a long, black trench coat walked out of the apartment. _Maki-san! Why's she here? Are these all members of the CCG?_

"Kaneko-san,"

 _Why was Kyoushi trying to run?_

"We have to ask you about your friend,"

 _Was he running from the CCG?_

"Matsuyama Kyoushi."

 _Why!_ "Um… Of course…" I replied nonchalantly, as if every cell in my brain _wasn't_ going to explode from the frightening thoughts of who and what Kyoushi really was. "What do you have to know?"

Next thing I knew, I was in the 5th Ward CCG Headquarters, sitting in a chair in front of Maki-san in a very comfortable, yet confined office. She smiled sweetly, but it was obvious it was fake, she just wanted answers. "Kaneko-san," she started with, finally breaking the dreadful stiffness of the room, even though it returned right after her first words and stuck there long after. "Your friend, Matsuyama-san-"

"We aren't friends, don't associate me with scum like that," I countered, narrowing my eyes on her before looking away and scoffing.

"Not friends, hm?" She asked, seeming to see right through my lie. "He was holding onto you pretty tight in the convenience store. And I'd say you were holding onto him just as tight." _Shit, I forgot about that._

"I was in a state of trauma, okay? I needed some temporary comfort, so I just let the closest person there be my anchor for that time," I explained, trying to squirm my way out of it. "I would never associate with that fag under any other circumstances." _I'm sorry, Kyoushi-kun, I'm so sorry…_

She was startled by my strong use of that kind of language, a smirk forming in the back of my mind as I was already leading her away from our interrogation. "Kaneko-san, you shouldn't be so rude to gay people. Aren't you one yourself?" She asked as I almost choked on her words, not expecting such a turn of events.

" _Me? Gay?_ What the fuck kind of show you running here?" I asked in as offended a tone I could muster up, though it was half true, I was still very in denial about my sexuality.

"Oh, Kaneko-san, we have footage of you _kissing_ The Butterfly…" Her tone went cold as my eyes went wide, the room getting this chill to it that I'd never felt anywhere before. "Obviously, you have some sort of relationship with this ghoul, so I'm gonna give you one chance to tell the truth…" She started and glared at me harshly. " _Who is The Butterfly?_ "

 _Are they after Kyoushi-kun or The Butterfly? What's the correlation between the two?_ "Okay, I _sincerely_ have no idea who The Butterfly is, and _what do you mean The Butterfly is a guy?_ " I answered, genuinely confused by both questions as I stared at her with an outraged look on my face.

She rose her eyebrows and stayed silent for a moment as she sat back in her seat, just staring at me as I was left alone to my thoughts once again. _Is Kyoushi-kun a ghoul? Do they think Kyouoshi-kun is The Butterfly? Is Kyoushi-kun The Butterfly?_ "Has Matsuyama-san ever had any kind of strange habits or exhibited unusual behavior?" She asked as I picked my head up, raising one of my eyebrows in a ridiculous fashion to keep up my act.

"He's not my friend! I wouldn't know!" I couldn't help but think about it all, though. He _did_ have awkward eating habits and how he seemed to have _known_ about Asako-san, and how he disappeared during the crisis in town and reappeared once The Butterfly left, and the way he held the card from Maki-san with his finger nails! I had heard that there was special ghoul detecting liquids infused with a CCG member's business card, but I never thought it was true. _Kyoushi-kun is… A ghoul…_


	11. Lonely

The walk home from school was lonely. It was a few days since Kyoushi left, and waiting for his call was agonizing. I wondered when he would ever get to this "safe place" he was talking about. I wanted him back.

I never realized how much I needed his company until he wasn't here anymore. I kept thinking about exciting things from the school day to tell him and would gasp and smile, only to turn and remember that he was gone. It hit me right in the heart as I thought about how he probably wouldn't come back, how I would probably never see him ever again. I felt my chest tighten up as the realization set in. Kyoushi wasn't coming back. I ran a hand through my hair as I took a deep breath, trying not to cry in public as the pain was hitting me hard.

"Hey," a voice called out as I looked up to see a cute girl with long hair that was artificially curled at the ends. Her hair was jet black and her eyes were a dark brown, almost seeming to match her hair in how dark the color was. Her uniform was from the same school I went to, the same school Kyoushi went to, and it made me wonder why I'd never seen her. But with a more careful look, it was clear that she was a first year from the blue color of her tie. "I don't mean to bother you, your eyes are just red and you seem choked up," she explained, her voice sweet and melodic.

"Um… Yeah, I'm fine…" I replied as I took a deep breath, trying to hold in my feelings. "A dear friend of mine went away recently, so… I'm kind of emotional about it right now. But, thank you for asking," I replied, cursing myself for not being able to man up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You'll be alright, though, I'm sure of it," she smiled at me before looking me up and down. "Oh, you go to K High School?" she asked as I nodded a little.

"Yeah. I'm a third year. My name's, Kaneko Hibiki," I started as the girl blushed and giggled softly.

"Ah, Neko-senpai!" she exclaimed as I sighed, knowing this would be coming, especially with such a cute girl like her. "Sorry, you must get that a lot. My name is, Kita Manami. Nice to meet you, Neko-senpai," she introduced herself as I let out a rough exhale at the mention of the name again, but smiled at her a little.

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied before an awkward silence fell between us in the fairly quiet street, my cheeks getting redder because of it. "Um, which way are you going?" I asked as she looked up at me, pointing toward my route. "Oh, I am too. Let's walk together," I suggested as she smiled softly, nodding.

"Yeah, let's go," she said as the two of us started walking together, the silence returning, but bringing peacefulness instead of awkward stares and anxious small talk. I couldn't help but stare as we walked, though. She had a cute face, her bangs cut in a straight line right at her eyebrows and her lips a soft pink, pouting out a little. It reminded me of Kyoushi, my chest tightening again as we walked. "What was your friend like?" Kita asked as I looked up at her in shock, feeling as if my mind had been read.

"He was… He was great, the most wonderful person I've ever met. I could never put my finger on why he was so great, he would act so fake at school, but we would hang out and have so much fun together when we were alone," I explained and smiled at the thought of his beautiful face, his smile blinding my entire brain as I sniffled a little, getting all worked up again. "We… We had something special…" I mumbled as Kita rubbed my back softly, nodding at me.

"I understand, I had a friend like that too. He didn't so much go away, but we stopped being friends after a while… we grew up together, and then he just… stopped talking to me," Kita explained before looking up at me and blushing softly. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to make this about me, please continue!" She sputtered, a small smile creeping on my face as she reminded me of Kyoushi once again.

He was all that I thought about now, everything I saw reminded me of him, especially since this used to be our route home. He was gone, now, and I was infuriated with him. It wasn't because he was a ghoul, it was because he never _told me_ and then left without warning. I wanted him to call me. I wanted to hear his voice again, I wanted to see his face again, I wanted to kiss him, hug him, love him!

"Did you love him, Neko-senpai?" Kita asked softly as I jerked my head up, looking at her with tears streaming down my face. "Excuse me if I'm wrong, but… You really seem to miss him, and I can tell that all you want is to be with him again, even hearing his voice could be enough," she explained, my suspicions of her being a psychic getting realer as she talked.

I sniffled for a moment and took a deep breath so my voice wouldn't crack. "Although I think that people could definitely have friendships that are close like that… I did love him…" I revealed as I ran a hand through my dyed white hair, my black roots starting to show. "I still _do_ love him…"

Kita looked at me and nodded before looking ahead again, realizing for me that we were at my apartment complex. As she turned to go right, I stopped, causing her to look back at me. "This is my place, but I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully," I told her as I took my sleeves and wiped my eyes, Kita smiling at me and nodding.

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Neko-senpai! I'll come meet you here in the morning," she exclaimed before continuing down the street, taking out her phone and her headphones from her bag and putting one in her ear. I gave her one last smile at the back of her head before walking up the stairs outside and wandering to my door. I looked over at Kyoushi's abandoned door, taking a deep breath to calm myself down before walking into my home.

"Hey, did you hear about your friend, Matsuyama-kun?" My sister asked me as I yanked my head up, hoping to God they didn't find him.

"What about Kyoushi!" I shouted, not meaning to raise my voice in such a way.

She looked at me with big eyes before turning back towards the TV, pointing the remote at it as she shoved a chip in her mouth. "He's a ghoul. They concluded their investigation of his apartment today and found _body parts!_ " She explained as my face went white, hating to imagine Kyoushi as a bloodthirsty ghoul. _The body parts had to have been from… Already dead victims…_ I told myself, desperately trying to convince myself that he wasn't that kind of ghoul, that he wasn't that kind of _person_. "They said it was mostly ghoul body parts, so that makes him a cannibal!"

That last sentence relieved me, but I still hated to think about how he was a ghoul, I still couldn't believe it. _He must've been The Butterfly, that's the only ghoul in this ward I can think of that's cannibalistic…_ I wandered into my room as I continued to think about it, holding my head a little as I stumbled onto the bed, my brain pulsing against my skull due to overthinking things and my constant thoughts about Kyoushi, my never ending thoughts about Kyoushi. _He must've been… The Butterfly protected me with his life, only Kyoushi would do that… And I haven't see The Butterfly around, lately…_ I sighed softly and rolled over, pulling up the blanket at the foot of my bed over my still uniformed body. I closed my eyes slowly, about to take a little nap to let my brain rest from thoughts about Kyoushi, before something hit, a thought that had never occurred to me and was now hitting me like a train. _Kyoushi kissed me… Kyoushi kissed me!_ My eyes were wide as I instantly sat up, my cheeks flushing a bright red as I thought about it. "Kyoushi kissed me!" I exclaimed happily, feeling my heart pound a billion times faster as I put a hand to my lips. _Kissed me… He liked me… He might've loved me! I bet he did! Kyoushi loved me!_

My happiness didn't last more than a few moments as I once again remembered Kyoushi wasn't here, and he wasn't coming back. I buried my head back into my pillow and curled into a ball, gritting my teeth together as I fought back the tears roughly. "Kyoushi is never coming back… Kyoushi is gone forever, my one and only love… Is gone forever…" I whispered to myself as I stared at the wall next to my bed, remembering all the conversations I've had through it with Kyoushi. "Kyoushi… Kyoushi… I need you back…" I whispered as I sobbed uncontrollably. His face continued to flash in my head repeatedly as I thought about his smile, his laugh, his teary eyes, his beautiful neutral face that always looked a little pissed off, especially when he listened to music, his sleeping face I would leave kisses on without his knowledge. "Come back…" I choked out as I rolled over and pressed my back against the wall, pretending he was on the other side with his hand rubbing over the only thing between them.


	12. Replacement

I hauled myself up that morning, my eyes still bright red and puffy from having cried myself to sleep the night before. It was hell trying to pull myself together, all I could think about was Kyoushi. Everything was about Kyoushi. I stared at my uniform and reminded myself of when Kyoushi first came out to me, recalling the event ever so clearly as I now realized that his syllables didn't match up, and that he wanted to say ghoul, rather than gay. I tried to get over my feelings of frustration at the newfound realization, slipping into my uniform before grabbing my bookbag from my bed, recalling when Kyoushi was moaning about, what I thought to be, some random senpai, being too clueless to figure out it was really me.

I took a deep breath and opened my phone, having a missed call from an unknown number. They had left a message, it gave me a false sense of hope, I was so excited, I smiled widely as I held the phone to my ear, only to hear some random guy talking about some girl named Usako. I quickly deleted the message and covered my eyes as I walked out of my apartment, seeing Kita waiting for me with another kid by her side. "Neko-senpai!" Kita shouted as the boy next to her started laughing at the name, sniffling a little as I was _not_ in the mood for jokes.

As I approached, I could make out more features of this kid, he had dyed blonde hair, his black roots showing a little bit, and his eyes were a bright blue, although those were contacts. He seemed… fake. It gave me a bad feeling but… His hair was so fluffy, and his eyes looked real enough, he… looked like Kyoushi, the only difference really being his lips and his double-lidded eyes. "Neko-senpai, this is my friend."

I stared at him a little too much, tears building up in my eyes as I had to hold myself back from hugging this new boy and whispering sweet nothings to him about how much I missed Kyoushi, how painful it was to only wait a week for him. "Um… My name is Oshiro Kaoru…" he spoke awkwardly as he gave me a curious look. "Hey, is he alright?" Oshiro asked as he turned to Kita.

I snapped out of my sorrow and wiped my eyes with my sleeve, sniffling a little as I laughed at how ridiculous and desperate I was. "Sorry… You look like someone…" I mumbled as I removed my arm from in front of my eyes, Kita rubbing my shoulder.

"Someone in Neko-senpai's life has just gone missing, someone important to him," Kita explained as Oshiro looked at me and nodded, still keeping his distance though.

"Sorry to hear that…" He mumbled as Kita tapped my arm, guiding me forward a little as I sucked it up the best I could, trying to forget about Kyoushi. But this kid looked too much like him. So what if it was all fake, he looked exactly the same, except he was the quiet type. I knew it wasn't the exact same feeling, but it was _something_ to fill the hole in my heart for the time being.

"S-So Oshiro-san, you're also a first year?" I asked shyly, my voice still kind of hoarse as I was choking back my sobbing.

The boy looked up at me, then down at his phone as he nodded a little. "Yeah…" He mumbled, moving some of his hair aside and revealing piercings all over his ears. _That's kind of cute… And cool! Maybe I'll get some and show them off to Kyoushi when he comes back!_ The optimistic voice in my head was another pain in my chest as I remembered he probably wouldn't be coming back.

"Kao-chan is the quiet type, he just likes to play games and listen to music," Kita complained as she stepped in between us, a smile growing a bit on my lips from how cute her bangs and the curls in her hair looked.

Oshiro looked over at her, a bit annoyed with reddened cheeks. He softly punched Kita in the arm, mumbling, "Don't call me that…" It was annoying, just like Kyoushi used to be. But instead of the whole classic anime deredere, he was trying to pull the whole tsundere act. _How annoying…_

"Why do you insist on being so fake, Oshiro-san? No one likes a "tsundere,"" I told him rudely as he looked up at me in a bit of shock. Bingo, hit him right in the truth.

"Ugh, you're the kind of people I hate, let me have my fun," the boy mumbled as he glared at me a little. "Just because _you_ don't like something, doesn't mean everyone hates it. And so what if I'm fake? Leave me alone," he growled as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"I'm just saying that you don't need to, or rather, shouldn't be acting so fake around your friends," I explained as I ran a hand through my hair, the three of us reaching the school gates.

"Who says you're my friend?" he complained as Kita giggled a little at him, softly slapping his arm.

Once we reached the lobby, we went our separate ways to our individual shoe lockers. Oshiro wasn't too far from mine, and because of my height, I could easily see over them, starting to steal little glances at the Kyoushi look-a-like. _Just to fill the hole for now… Just until Kyoushi comes back…_ I thought as I watched him a little, seeing him look up and the two of us lock eyes for just a moment before I quickly turned away, my cheeks getting bright red. _Jesus christ, this isn't some stupid manga, get over yourself…_ I continued as I then gave myself a hard slap across the face, the loud clap attracting attention I would just brush off.

I huffed loudly as I headed to the top floor, up to my classroom where I would have no one to talk to. I'm not sure why, but I was widely disliked throughout my class, or rather, everyone felt indifferent towards me. There was a growing dislike, though, ever since my meltdown in class with Asako. The memory sent chills down my back as I pulled out my phone, plugging in my headphones and playing music as I stared out the window.

 _I wonder if Kyoushi is really gonna come back… I wonder how long it'll be before I see him again…_ No matter what, Kyoushi never left my mind, and it was starting to become frustrated. I found myself grumbling under my breath, probably giving off a frightening vibe from the way the class avoided me once I snapped back from my thoughts. I caught a few people staring, us making eye contact before they looked away quickly as I chuckled to myself, letting out a deep breath. _Get your mind off of him for now… There's a time and place to think about Kyoushi, and it's not right now…_ I was happy I could find some joy in my situation, it was a huge relief since I felt like I haven't been able to smile at all since Kyoushi disappeared. I was normally quick to get over things, anyways. It would only take me a day or two to get over big things and not even a half hour to get past the small things, it was kind of odd.

"Kaneko-san, how many times am I going to have to warn you that you need to stop dyeing your hair," the teacher spoke as the bell rang, the class giggling a little as I smiled.

"Once they stop becoming warnings, I'll think about it," I bantered back, smiling snarkily at him as the man let out a huff of a laugh, shaking his head a little at me.

"Sarcastic and rude, as per usual."


	13. Sudden

_12: Sudden_

My legs were growing numb as I sprinted as fast as the adrenaline in my body would keep me going. I knew I could never outrun the monsters of the night, but it was worth a shot. Going out for a walk at 2 am might've been my biggest mistake yet, a leisurely stroll turning into nearly tripping over my own feet as they carried my body away from, yet another ghoul. I wondered how many people get chased down by ghouls this often, because it was starting to become a regular thing, lately, and I couldn't tell if it was because of my dumb ass just going to the wrong place at the wrong time, or if I was being hunted down.

My lungs were giving out, they were burning inside my body as I looked back to see the ghoul not far behind at all, using his serpent-like kagune to carry him along. "Shit!" I choked out as I then finally fell to the ground, staring back as I tried to crawl away, but my body just being way too exhausted. I tried to call for help, but my lungs couldn't get enough air to both shout and keep me alive at the same time. But, that effort would go to waste soon enough as this ghoul towered over me, laughing and surrounding my limp body.

"Aw, can't run anymore? I was having so much fun chasing you!" the ghoul laughed as he circled around me like some wild cat, even growling a little as his black and red eyes seemed to pulsate. "But I _was_ getting a little tired. You seem like a good snack!" he laughed as he used his kagune to cut off my left arm, my voice finally being able to let out a scream, several actually, in hopes of getting help. "Ah, you better keep your voice down… Someone might hear…" the monster whispered as he started gnawing at my arm, making noises to show just how tasty he thought it was. "Mm… So strong and chewy… I wonder how the other arm ta-" a long, green talon-like structure pierced through the ghoul's stomach, and easily swung up through the rest of his body, the two halves of him limping to their respective sides as the body fell to the right where there was the most weight carried.

"I'm so tired of you taking my territory! Just die already!" I looked up to see a young adult woman, her hair black and short, in a mushroom haircut, and her eyes that black accompanied by that piercing red that every ghoul carried. Once she looked up at me, I felt my heart start pumping again, the pain in my arm becoming nothing now as the mix of shock and adrenaline rushed through my body. I started trying to crawl to my feet as the ghoul stared at me, then grabbed my arm from the corpse on the ground. She sniffed it softly, her nose scrunching up before she tried taking a bite. Her face turned to disgust as she spit it back out. "Ugh, gross! You taste almost as bad as human food!" she complained, looking over at me again as she was still gagging on my blood in her mouth. I wanted to run from her gaze, but my body was too tired to actually do anything, and the blood loss was starting to get to me. "Hey," she called as I let out a little whimper, sniffling my snot back up into my nose as she rolled her eyes at my puppy whines. "I'll make you a deal…" she started as she walked over to me, my body shimmying itself backwards with every step she took as I cried harder, making gross sobbing noises that made her even more annoyed. "Listen up. I'll let you live, so long as you don't point the CCG in my direction. Got it?" she asked as I was quick to nod my head in response, the girl grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and stepping on my stomach while she lifted me up to her face. "Promise?" she asked aggressively as I nodded faster, sniffling again.

"I promise! I promise!" I choked out before she dropped me back down, backing away from me and seeming to disappear into the darkness as I was left to bleed out. The only thing I could do was try to stop the bleeding and go find help while avoiding any other ghoul run ins. I pulled my shirt over my head as I stared at the stump that was left of my arm, figuring I should try to at least stop _some_ it without two hands was hard, though, my right hand barely able to get a good knot in as blood continued pouring through the shirt. It felt like my arm was still there, though, it felt so weird as I'd try to move it and grab with it before realizing repeatedly that it was just a stump, that's all that was left. And I was dumbfounded with how quick I went from just walking around peacefully to having to drag my tired, bleeding out body across town to go find help.

The walk was hell, I could barely pull myself along as I could feel my face getting paler and my eyesight getting a little fuzzy. I was lucky enough to find a 24 hour convenience store that was quick to call an ambulance for me and try to help me stay conscious as I was fading out of it.

The next morning, I once again woke up in the hospital surrounded by my family asleep in their respective chairs. The only difference from last time was the absence of Kyoushi. I felt my heartache as I was reminded of his disappearance, I needed him now more than ever, especially since I would be trying to become accustomed to a new life. " _I'll grab that for you, Hibiki-kun!" "Do you need help? I don't mean to be evasive, I just wanna help…" "Jeez, what costed so much you lost your arm? Get it? Like how you trade an arm and a leg? Is that mean? Nah, you're laughing, it's fine."_

I slumped over and covered my face with my hand, sobbing softly as I woke my sister up from her sleep. "Hm…? Hibiki, why are you crying…?" she mumbled as she carefully got up, trying not to wake our parents she walked to my bed.

I just covered my face even more, wishing for Kyoushi to be there to comfort me, wishing for a happy ever after I'd never get. "Everything is all these stupid ghouls' fault!" I cried as she tried to shush me, the loud crying not being enough to wake my heavily asleep parents. "Rikuko, I'm going to hunt them down…" I started as my sister gave me the most dumbfounded look ever.

"Hibiki, what the hell are you talking about? Joining the CCG? Just because you lost your arm?" She asked as I grunted softly at her reply, looking at my arm, or rather, lack of it, in frustration and pure anger.

"It's more than that!" I started as I looked out the window for a moment, trying to take a deep breath and calm down. "Riku, it's more than that… These filthy ghouls are over taking everything I love, their taking over my life! I want to do something about it…" I explained as I ran a hand through my hair, holding the black roots roughly as I thought about how much I've lost because of ghouls. Of course, when I say ghoul, I don't mean ones like Kyoushi, no. I mean the ones who go out of their way to hunt and destroy humanity out of selfish spite.

Rikuko stared at me a little before softly rubbing my shoulder and sighing. "Hibiki, you have one arm, they're not gonna take you…" she broke it to me, not even bothering to sugar coat it as I clenched my fist in my hair tighter.

I looked up at her, my gaze being strong and serious as I let my hand fall out of my hair. "They'll take what they can get," I simply stated before looking away again, staring out the window into the blue sky with a bright sun in the sky. "I'll have some trouble, but I'll work it out…" _I'm going to go find you, Kyoushi…_


	14. Switch

_13: Switch_

Once the last day of school was over, I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me, as I realized I was now… graduating. All the students started to rejoice together, making me feel like an outsider looking in as I watched all the different students hug each other goodbye, some even crying, and others exchanging buttons, the second button of our jackets to be exact. I sighed as I stood beside a post, waiting for my family to finally stop talking to other kids and actually _congratulate_ me, taking the time to look down at the sewn up sleeve that Kita made for my uniform.

I didn't know her long, but in our time together, she had become a dear friend, one that I could rely on and have fun with at the same time. As I stared at the doors, Kita and Oshiro walked through, Kita smiling at me as they both walked over.

"Congrats, Neko-senpai!" she smiled, her kind eyes never seeming to fail to cheer me up.

"Thank you, Kita-chan," I replied as I put my hand up for a high five, the younger girl quickly slapping my hand, then raveling her fingers in between mine. The two of us smiled as we gripped our hands tightly around each others, Kita's smile starting to falter as she easily started crying.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled as she used her free hand to wipe her tears from her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you a lot, Neko-senpai…" she sniffled, Oshiro rubbing her back softly and looking at her worriedly.

"Ah, I'll miss you too, Kita-chan. But I'll still be in town," I explained, the girl yanking her head up from her sorrow immediately. "I'm going to be training at the local CCG Training Academy, so wish me luck," I smiled as the girl gasped a little.

" _Woah!_ You got in?" She asked excitedly as I gave her a nod in reply. "Wow, that's so great! I hope you do well there! I was thinking about training there too, actually," she explained as I snorted a little, the laugh a little self deprecating as I thought about why I was joining.

"You've got a lot ahead of you, Kita-chan, go to college," I instructed as I stared at the missing button on my blazer, in specific, the second one. "I need to do some stuff to redeem myself through that…"

The two kids stared at me in awe, both of them blushing a little as I looked back up at them. "Neko-senpai, you're so cool," Kita admired me as she then looked at the lack of a second button as well. "Wait, who are you giving your second button to?" she asked and looked around for someone I might've been staring at.

I sighed softly as I thought about it, thinking about how happy Kyoushi would be to know how deeply imbedded he's been in my heart. "When that friend comes back, I want him to know I missed him," I simply put as I finally took my hand away from her, my gaze changing over to the fake blonde. "But as for now…" I continued, ripping the first button off my blazer and holding it out to Oshiro. "Take this," I smiled as he went red in the face, his hair almost seeming to feather up in embarrassment as he started sputtering nonsense.

"K-K-Kaneko-senpai, are-are you s-s-serious?" he asked as I rolled my eyes and took my hand away jokingly.

"Nope, now Kita-chan gets it," I teased playfully before holding it back out to him. "Yes, of course I'm serious. If you'll accept it, make sure you call me over spring break… A lot," I grinned, Oshiro being quick to take the button with his warm hands. _Ah, he's too oblivious to know he's just a replacement…_

"I will…" he said shyly as he then looked down again. "Um, does this mean… I can call you Hibiki-kun…?" Oshiro asked as he looked back up at me, gripping the button tightly as I smiled and nodded.

"Yep, Kao-chan~" I giggled, the boy scrunching up his face at the nickname and smacking me on the arm as Kita and I laughed together. "Alright! Alright! I won't call you _that_ in specific," I compromised as I softly patted his head, my hand caressing down to his face as he leaned into the touch.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Kita said softly as she ducked out of the conversation to go take selfies by the cherry blossoms, leaving me and Kaoru to ourselves.

"How long have you liked me?" Kaoru asked, being quick to break the silence between us.

I blushed softly as I tried to think of an answer, needing to be careful with my response so I wouldn't accidentally call him Kyoushi. "Well… To be honest, when I first saw you… You were my type… blonde, blue eyes, even though those are fake, and the whole stupid anime thing was cute since I got to know the real you," I explained,putting my hand behind my head as I laughed at the thought.

"And if I didn't have blonde hair and blue eyes?" he asked as I looked at him again, trying to think of an answer.

"Ummm… To be honest, I don't think I would've fallen for you _immediately_ ," I responded as he looked down a little, staring at the button.

"So… who's so special that you're giving them your second button…?" Oshiro pressed as I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself composed at the thought of Kyoushi.

"It's… the person that I've missed, that good friend that disappeared…" I explained simply, having to take another breath to keep myself together.

"Were they more than a good friend?" the boy asked as he then looked up at me with serious and a tad bit angry eyes.

A little shocked by this reaction, I stared at him for a moment before easing my gaze away, trying to think about whether I should tell him the truth or not. "Uh…"

"The fact that you even have to think about it answers my question," he responded as he crossed his arms in frustration, looking away, his posture a new kind of perfect. "I knew I would be just some replacement," he sighed arrogantly as I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

"Kaoru-kun, what're you say-"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me," he responded, turning towards me again with a whole other kind of glare. "I _know_ I'm just a replacement for him. And I'm willing to be, upon a few circumstances," he started as I looked at him, still completely baffled by this sudden change in personality. _What the hell is this? Why is he acting like this? Was the "real him" not the real him?_

"Wait, I'm so confused… Why the hell are you suddenly acting like this?" I asked as he smirked at me a little.

"I want something and you want something, so let's compromise, shall we?" he said, trying to sound smarter than me and make me feel inferior.

"Tell me your circumstances first," I demanded as he looked up at me with narrow eyes.

"I want access to any information on the 5th ward you get. I'm actually studying ghoul patterns and such and hope to become a member of insight at the CCG once I graduate," he began, putting a finger to my mouth when I tried to protest. "Let me finish. Another thing, I, myself, need help tracking a… well, we'll call her a friend for now. She's part of the CCG but she works in the 6th ward and there's something I need to settle with her, so be on the lookout for Matsushita Setsuko," he continued, the first thing coming to my mind as he said the name being Matsuyama. _Dammit, not now, gotta stop thinking about him so much…_ "My third and final circumstance is that you… Well… Kiss me a lot…" he mumbled as I blushed softly, liking how red in the face he got as well while saying it and his lack of eye contact. But it was obvious that third circumstance was just to distract me, I wasn't going to let it throw me off from these odd propositions.

"Kaoru-kun-"

"It's Oshiro-san until you agree."

"Fine, Oshiro-san," I huffed in frustration. "I don't know how you expect me to relay you information. If it gets out that I'm giving someone outside the CCG information, I'd probably be executed," I explained as the boy looked up at me, sighing softly.

"As a last resort, I'm going to let you know…" he paused for a moment, looking around before back at me. "I know where your friend has gone."

My heart stopped at those words. "What…?" I asked weakly.

"There's no reason for you to ask how or why, I just know. Now, I'll reveal to you the location of your friend when you're done with your training," he explained as clenched my fist.

"That could take years! Is he safe? Is he alright?" I asked desperately as he stared at me with a straight face. He didn't exactly show it, but I could tell he was enjoying me starting to break.

"All will be revealed in time, Kaneko. In time," he responded calmly as he then gave me a cute smile. "Would you please do it? For me?" he asked in the voice he had been using around Kita. It made me frustrated, but it reminded me so much of Kyoushi… I was starting to let my memories take control of my rationality, but quickly shook that away. I would have to learn how to contain that kind of emotional thought cycle if I was going to train with the CCG.

I stared at him for a little my nose scrunching up in frustration as I tried to think about it. "... You'll have to give me updates on Kyoushi's health and well being," I tried to negotiate as he narrowed his eyes on me.

"And how will I know you'll keep your side of the deal, Kaneko?"

"Add the fucking senpai, or at least san at the end. I am superior to you-"

"No, you really aren't. You have no idea what I'm capable-"

I grabbed Oshiro by the collar of his shirt and slammed him up against the poles holding up the awning between buildings. "Listen, you little shit," I started angrily, noticing some kids looking at us, but having the courtesy to mind their own business. "Keep running your fucking mouth all you want and thinking you're all that, I don't care, but you better give me updates on Kyoushi, because, for all I know, he could be _dead!_ " I scolded him, seeing the boy smirk at me again which just pissed me off even more.

"What're you gonna do, you can't hurt me, Kaneko," he laughed as I gripped his shirt.

"And why the fuck not?" I asked as he laughed a little harder.

"I look to much like Kyoushi for you to hurt me-" I interrupted him with a hard headbutt to the forehead, the boy slamming the back of his head on the pole as he whimpered.

"You're _not_ Kyoushi, though! You're just a little shit! I don't _need_ you!" I shouted as he sniffled a little,his breathing starting to pick up. He was starting to cry, his eyes getting glassy as he hiccuped a little.

"I… I'm sorry…" he mumbled as I sighed and put him down slowly. He looked up at me for a second before hugging me tightly, hitting my real weak spot finally. "I'll be your Kyoushi… I'll tell you how he is, too…" he mumbled before looking back up at me. "I want to feel special to you, Kaneko-senpai, I really do…" he continued as I sighed, patting his head softly.

"Alright, I'll do what you want…" I agreed as he smiled up at me, reaching up and caressing my cheek. "Now give me a kiss…" I whispered and smiled, trying to ignore how deceptive he was now for my own mental health. He was right, I did need him, I needed that substitute to love and care for me.

The boy looked down shyly as he kept his hands on my neck. "It's my first time…" he whispered as I rolled my eyes.

"Jeez, so overdramatic. It's no big deal," I laughed casually, lifting his head by his chin and kissing him softly, his lips narrow and softly. _I'm going to regret this… But I should enjoy it while it lasts…_


End file.
